About John André

John André (May 2, 1750 – October 2, 1780) was a British army officer hanged as a spy during the American Revolutionary War. This was due to an incident in which he assisted Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New York to the British Army, which he is today best known for.

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"Sadly, Peggy (Margaret Oswald Howard (Chew) 1760-1824 Wife of Col. John Eager Howard) never had a chance to answer this plea, for André was found guilty of spying; he had been entrusted with the correspondence between the British headquarters and the American traitor Benedict Arnold, and was in possession of the treasonous papers when he was captured by American soldiers who searched him and found them. On October 2, 1780, the British officer was hanged at Tappan, New York.11 As a result, Peggy lost her most ardent suitor, and it was John Eager Howard who finally won her hand. Colonel Howard first saw the Chew home during a battle of the Revolutionary War and soon became infatuated with Peggy.12 Wounded during the fighting at Eutaw Springs, he feared that another suitor would court her during his convalescence. Therefore, he convinced his physician, Dr. Craik, to act as a courier for the messages that passed between the lovers. The two carried on a long and heated courtship by pen while Colonel Howard remained an invalid. Finally, the "bombardment" of letters proved to be too much for the long sought after Peggy Chew to resist; according to family lore, she "surrendered unconditionally" to the noble colonel, and the couple became engaged.13 ----------------------------------------------- This information resource of the Maryland State Archives is presented here for fair use in the public domain. When this material is used, in whole or in part, proper citation and credit must be attributed to the Maryland State Archives. PLEASE NOTE: Rights assessment for associated source material is the responsibility of the user."